Stroke Treatment Starts Before Arrival at Hospital

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Today, there seems to be an app for just about everything. Now new technology can give patients and doctors critical time when they need it most.

Things are looking up for Armand Kaladi. Just a few months ago he had a stroke.

“I got myself out of the car and I basically fell on the ground because my whole left side was paralyzed. It had no strength, no activity to it,” Kaladi told Ivanhoe.

Kaladi knew he was in trouble. Within minutes after a stroke brain cells begin to die. Every thirty minutes that passes without treatment equals an 18 percent reduction in the chance of a good outcome. Experts say patients need to be inside a hospital within sixty minutes so they can prevent permanent damage.

But in Kaladi’s case, this app called Pulsara was a life-saving difference. The hospital has patient information before arrival.

Brijesh Mehta, M.D., neurointerventional surgeon at Memorial Healthcare System in Fort Lauderdale, Florida explained, “One notification goes to all the staff so we’re all on the same page and when the patient arrives, we’re ready.” (Read Full Interview)

“We’ve really seen a huge, huge reduction in time in getting patients to treatment by the new process we’ve created here and the inclusion of some of these technologies,” said Mark Ellis, rescue fire chief at Hallandale Beach Fire in Florida.

A life-saving app that takes just seconds to use, when seconds matter.

“In my case, it could’ve been the difference in being paralyzed, saving my life or just enjoying a normal lifestyle,” said Kaladi.

Pulsara is just one form of technology EMS is using in the field to communicate with doctors at the hospital.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation or AFib is an irregular and rapid heart rate. During AFib, the heart’s two upper chambers beat out of coordination with the two lower chambers of the heart. Although AFib is not usually life-threatening, it is a serious medical condition that sometimes requires emergency treatment. It can lead to blood clots forming in the heart and can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications. About 15% of all strokes are related to AFib. The most common symptom of AFib is a quivering or fluttering heartbeat.
(Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/atrial-fibrillation/home/ovc-20164923)

SIGNS OF A STROKE: F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke. F.A.S.T stands for:

NEW TECHNOLOGY: New technology is giving patients and their doctors the critical time that is need when an emergency occurs. Certain apps, such as Pulsara, allow for hospitals to have patient information before they arrive at the hospital. EMS teams have seen a reduction in time in getting patients to treatment with apps that provide information such as that. Join is another app that provides stroke alerts as well as share finding with other team members on one streamline interface. Also, the PulsePoint app launches a cardiac arrest dispatch when someone in an area near you is going into cardiac arrest.
(Source: Dr. Brijesh Mehta)

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com

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